The Fall and Rise of the Blades
by FalconHawk
Summary: The Dragonborn has risked his life time and again in his mission to bring down Alduin, and in all that time he has never asked for anything. But when those who are sworn to follow him rebel, and tell him to do what he cannot, it is finally too much.


_This is an idea that I've had since my first play-through of Skyrim. And honestly, I'm surprised this isn't an in-game option. This story takes place sometime between the truce between the Empire and the Stormcloaks, and the Dragonborn's second fight with Alduin._

* * *

Gorn-Ja crouched his body lower the ground as he drew closer to Karthspire Camp and took his bow off his back. He felt a slight trembling sensation in his scales as Brelyna cast a spell behind him. Knowing the Dunmer, it was a probably a stoneflesh spell. A few more minutes and Gorn cleared the last rise separating them from Karthspire Camp, or rather the ruins of it.

A few of the larger tents and bridges that had once spanned the patchwork of steams still smoldered in the dying light of the setting sun. The rest were piles of ash. A few charred bodies littered the ground, and there were others that had been reduced to mere skeletons. Gorn only counted two living Forsworn picking through the rubble, probably scavenging for weapons, or other valuables that could still be used.

The Argonian stood straight up, angled his head towards the sky and shouted " _Fus!_ " Around him the air shimmered with the power of the Voice, and there was a sound akin to thunder. The two Forsworn looked up in surprise at hearing the noise, then looked to each other in indecision before grabbing what they had managed to salvage, and running as fast as they could away from Gorn and his companion. Gorn-Ja only nodded in approval of their chosen action.

By now, the story of the Dragonborn had spread far and wide across Skyrim, and probably outside of the kingdom's borders as well. The Forsworn had apparently heard of him too. Hardly surprising though, since Gorn had crossed paths with the wild men on more than once occasion, and it had rarely been a peaceful encounter.

"Oh!" Brelyna said in surprise as she came to stand shoulder to shoulder with her friend. "I know you told me that there was a large Forsworn camp, but I never had any idea just how large! How many Forsworn were here when you and the Blades first came through?"

Gorn shrugged. "I can't really say, I was a preoccupied with staying alive, but if I had to guess I would say somewhere between a hundred and a hundred-fifty."

"And the three of you killed them all?"

"No." Gorn chuckled, although being an Argonian, his laughter sounded more like a hissing sound. "As fate would have it, a dragon attacked at the same time we reached Karthspire Camp, and it killed most of the Forsworn. I killed maybe five, and the a few more with the Voice. I cannot say how many the Blades killed." He chuckled again, "Nor can I saw whether the Forsworn succeeded in killing the dragon or if it's still flying around out there somewhere."

Gorn began picking his way through the charred remains of the once sprawling camp, his milky, reptilian eyes moving back and forth, looking for any sign of a Forsworn straggler who might pop up and attack, but they were left alone as they made their way through the camp and into Karthspire itself, which had only a short time again been a Forsworn infested hole, but now was only a silent cave that contained the ancient Akaviri ruins of Sky Haven Temple in the back, untouched for centuries until Gorn, Delphine, and Esbern had uncovered it.

"Let's stop here and have a bite to eat." Gorn said as he came to an abandoned campsite inside the cave system. "These caverns stretch on for a way, and I could use a rest after the days of nonstop traveling we've had."

Brelyna replied by unslinging her light pack, then pointing a finger at the dormant fireplace, and it burst once more to life. Gorn began preparing their meal, sabertooth meat and Nordic mead. Sabertooth wasn't exactly considered high class cuisine, but the beast had attacked them on the previous day, and their food supplies had been running low. Gorn offered a half full bottle of mead to Brelyna, and the Dunmer quickly thanked him and set the bottle down to one side, then removed a book from her pack, conjured a floating orb of light to read by, and settled into a comfortably position.

Gorn finished his food preparations, and sat against a moderately sized stalagmite and stared absently into the fire and at the roasting meat, sipping occasionally at his own mead. It wasn't long before his mind began to drift.

Gorn-Ja the Mercenary and Brelyna Maryon of House Telvanni were two of the most unlikely companions imaginable, and their first meeting had been little more than coincidence. Brelyna, and several other mages from the College of Winterhold had been exploring the ancient ruin of Saarthal in search of magical artifacts, while Gorn had been in the same place looking for a fragment of the famed Gauldur Amulet. As was his nature, Gorn had ignored the strangers as best as he could, but the familiar sounds of battle had brought him running.

What he'd found had been Brelyna with her her back literally pressed against a wall, and madly casting spells at two draugr. Gorn had fought against hundreds of draugr already, and had instinctively dove into the fray and dispatched the undead monsters. Afterwards, Gorn and the mage expedition had decided that it would be mutually beneficial to travel together. The mages with their better knowledge of the ruins, and Gorn with his battle skills.

Gorn had fully expected Brelyna to be another stuck-up, cruel, self-absorbed, power hungry dark elf. What he found instead an inquisitive young elf who was powerful but at the same time clumsy with her spellcasting. Brelyna was also the first Dunmer that Gorn had ever met who did not seem proud of her heritage. If anything she seemed embarrassed by it, because of how it seemed she would never match up to her ancestors.

Being a career mercenary himself, Gorn had fought both for and against Dunmer on numerous occasions, and so he harbored none of the hatred for the dark elves that his kind normally did, and Brelyna's humility and curious nature had an endearing effect on the hardened mercenary. So when Brelyna had asked to accompany Gorn on his numerous adventures across Skyrim, Gorn had happily accepted.

That was how Brelyna had found herself caught up in the race to stop Alduin, and when Gorn had told her about the two remaining Blades, she'd asked if she could join their order, and so now the two of them were on the verge of entering Sky Haven Temple, so that Delphine and Esbern could formally admit her to the warrior's society.

* * *

Gorn-Ja breathed easier once they were through the maze of caverns and the myriad of booby traps that the Akaviri had left behind. He'd only been in Sky Haven once before, and was somewhat nervous about tripping some fatal trap that he'd accidentally avoided the first time. Brelyna was also noticeably more relaxed after passing over the blood seal and through the temple entrance.

The Dragonborn and his follower found the two Blades right where Gorn had left them, with Esbern studying Alduin's wall, and constantly muttering his findings, while Delphine sat at the long, stone table, and made sarcastic comments.

Gorn cleared his throat to announce his presence, and both the Blades turned to look at him.

"Welcome back, Dragonborn." Esbern greeted him.

Delphine was straight to business, as always. "And who is this you've brought?"

"Brelyna Maryon of House Telvanni." Gorn answered. "She's been my friend and companion for some time now, and she has recently told me of her desire to join the Blades."

"A Telvanni, truly?" Esbern said curiously, and he instantly took more of an interest in his new guest. "Yes, yes… House Telvanni is renowned as potent spellcasters… she would make a wonder addition to our depleted numbers…"

"Esbern…" Delphine said quietly, but the old man didn't seem to notice.

"What is your specialty my dear? Enchanting, destruction, conjuration?"

Brelyna lowered her gaze humbly, and opened her mouth to answer, but Esbern only continued on.

"You know, I might not look like it, but I was once quite the battlemage myself! But that was back before the fall of the Blades, and the-"

"Esbern!" Delphine said more loudly this time, and this time managed to snap him from his contemplations. "There will be time for all that later. For now, there is something we must discuss with the Dragonborn."

"Oh?" Gorn said, crossing his arms over his armored chest. "And just what would that be?"

"We know about your secret teacher." Delphine said with a note of irritation in her voice.

Gorn made a hissing sound of his own irritation before answering, "It is hardly a secret that the Grey Beards have been schooling me in the way of the Voice. I know of your disdain for their order, but I could not have progressed as far as I have without them."

"No, not the damned Grey Beards." Delphine said their name with undisguised hatred. "Their master, the dragon Paarthurnax."

Gorn tensed, and his tail flicked to either side before he answered. "What of him?"

"In ancient times, when dragons ruled the world, Paarthurnax was the foremost of Alduin's commanders. There are entire books filled with the atrocities committed by Paarthurnax and the dragons under his command… And you have allied yourself with him!"

Gorn's tail flicked again, but this time it was more out of anger. "What is your point?! That was thousands of years ago!"

This time is was Esbern who spoke, "The length of time does not excuse the crimes he committed. He might play at being your friend now, but will that change after you have dealt with Alduin and he becomes the eldest and most powerful dragon?"

"No it won't!" Gorn hissed, his own voice rising in anger. It was a tone that Brelyna recognized, and she took a step away from the Argonian. "Paarthurnax is more than just my teacher, he is my friend! I know him better than anyone else alive today!"

"You would ally yourself with a dragon over us!" Delphine snarled.

Gorn snarled back, "It was _you_ who wanted to ally with _me!_ Remember Delphine, it was _you_ who came looking for me, not the other way around! It was _me_ who came and dug Esbern out of the Ratway and brought you both here to Sky Haven! It was me and Brelyna who uncovered the Elder Scroll that allowed me to battle and defeat Alduin! It was me who convinced the Empire and the Stormcloaks to lay down their arms for a time! What have you done? Either of you!"

"Don't fool yourself, Dragonborn!" Delphine snapped. "If it weren't for us, you would still be just another a mercenary wandering Skyrim. We were the ones who put you on your path!"

Gorn laughed, but it was a humorless laugh. " _You_ put me on my path!? If my memory serves me, it was the Grey Beards who summoned me and told me the truth! All you have done is to help me kill Sahloknir… a feat I could have accomplished on my own. All Esbern has done is to show me Alduin's Wall which spoke of a shout that could bring down a dragon, but it was Paarthurnax who revealed the truth of Dragonrend to me, and told me how I could learn it! _I_ have done everything, while the two of you have hidden in the shadows and relied on me to do your bidding!"

There a long silence after that outburst. Gorn and Delphine glared at each other across a space of ten feet. Brelyna had taken another step away from her friend, and Esbern nervously moved his eyes between both the Dragonborn and his old comrade-in-arms. It was finally Esbern who broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Dragonborn… there is truth in what you say. But there is also truth in what I say now. The crimes that Paarthurnax has committed cannot be forgotten become of the length of time. While he now claims repentance, domination is bound up in the very nature of dragons, and they will never truly stray from that. This, Way of the Voice that Paarthurnax claims mastery of… is it truly the way of the gods as he claims, or is it simply another path to lordship and domination for him?"

Gorn wanted to reiterate what he'd already said, but he held back. What Esbern had suggested had never truly occurred to him. What if Alduin was defeated, and Paarthurnax then rallied the dragons and forced the Way of the Voice on them. Would it be any better for the dragons, would anything be gained for anyone, or was it all a cunning ploy of Paarthurnax to ascend to the head of his race.

"No." Gorn finally answered after his silent contemplation. "You do not understand. I have spoken with Paarthurnax, I have meditated with him on the Thu'um. There is an honesty in the tongue of dragons that cannot be denied. I can't explain it, and I can't ask you to understand it. But you have trusted me so far, so all I ask is that you continue to trust me. I will kill Alduin, and Paarthurnax will continue to be my friend and an ally to us and our cause. Do not ask me to kill him, because I cannot do that."

The two Blades looked at each other, and a sort of unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them, and then Delphine turned back to Gorn and said, "I am the one who is sorry, Dragonborn. But it seems that the Grey Beards and the dragon have blinded you, and you leave us no choice. Sky Haven Temple is now closed to you, and the Blades will no longer help you until Paarthurnax is dead."

Gorn's tail twitched again, and then he turned around and took several steps away from the two Blades before stopping and turning back to them. "I am the Dragonborn…" He growled, and the coldness and hatred in his voice made Brelyna go rigid where she stood next to him. "The Blades assist the Dragonborn… and now… this… treachery!"

He had been speaking so quietly that he wasn't sure if Delphine or Esbern could hear him, but it made no difference whether they could or not.

" _Wuld!_ " Gorn shouted, and faster than any eye could follow him, he shot forward, coming to a stop directly in front of Delphine. Gorn snarled and reached out, his clawed fingers digging into her torso where the armor opened for her arms, and Gorn lifted her bodily, two feet of the stone floor. "I am the Dragonborn!" He yelled up at Delphine. "You answer to me!"

Delphine grabbed for her Blade's katana but she was too slow.

" _Fus-Ro-Dah!_ " Gorn shouted, and the power of his Thu'um exploded from his mouth just as a deafening thunderclap shook the temple. Instantly, Delphine's head shot backwards from the sheer power of the Voice, and her neck snapped like a dried twig. Gorn continued to hold onto Delphine's already lifeless body as his Thu'um tore at her, rending through her leather armor, and body. The Thu'um was too powerful, and Delphine's body broke apart, sending mangled pieces of flesh and shattered pieces of bone to the far side of the massive room.

Behind him, Brelyna stood rooted the floor, too surprised to move. And to his right, Esbern seemed to share that same surprise.

Gorn turned towards the older Blade just as Esbern was raising his hands to cast a spell of some sort. No one would ever know exactly what Esbern had in mind. Gorn's hand flew to the axe tucked in his belt and in one motion he pulled it back and over his shoulder, then threw it with full force into Esbern's head. The old man took a step backwards, and somehow managed to stay on his feet for another moment before toppling over backwards.

"The Blades…" Gorn said as he breathed heavily from the exertion he'd just put forth, "Serve the Dragonborn." He turned back to Brelyna, who still stood in the same place, her eyes locked onto Gorn's.

Gorn did his best to smile, which is hard for an Argonian, and said, "Don't be afraid of me, Brelyna. You're my friend, and I could never hurt you, or anyone else who I call friend. Delphine and Esbern were never my friends, they were at best, a means to an end."

Brelyna nodded silently.

"The Blades are gone now. As far as I know they were the last, but they will be reborn." He walked past the corpse of Esbern until he was face to face with Brelyna again. "I want you to become the first. It will not change anything between us, we will continue on exactly as we have before, but I think that perhaps becoming the first Blade of the new order will give you the sense of purpose that you were never able to find in Morrowind or the College." He put a scaly hand on her shoulder. "Will you do me that honor?"

"Yes." She nodded, the beginnings of her old smile coming back to her face.

Again, Gorn gave his best imitation of a smile. "Good… Thank you Brelyna."

The Dragonborn moved across the room and picked up Delphine's katana from where it had fallen, then he crossed the room one last time and presented it to his friend. "I think you will put this to better use than she ever did. Even if you still prefer your spells."

Brelyna smiled at Gorn's odd sense of humor, and then fixed the sword to her belt. "Of course I will." She answered.

Gorn motioned towards the exit. "Come-on. We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

Gorn-Ja never did find out if Delphine and Esbern truly had been the last of the old Blades, nor did he care. There were still battles to fight, with both people and dragons, and now he had a renewed sense of purpose as he fought them.

Brelyna was the first of Gorn's Blades, but she was certainly not the last. It wouldn't be long before she was joined by a Khajiit warrior named Kharjo, and later by an Orcish ranger, Ghorbash the Iron Hand. In time, the new Blades grew into a small but formidable fighting force, able to hunt and kill dragons without the help of the Dragonborn, and while they never truly reclaimed the glory and renown that the old Blades had once enjoyed, none of them ever questioned that what they fought for was the best option, not only for themselves, but for Skyrim, and all of Tamriel.

* * *

 _Yeah, short fight scene, I know, and not very climatic. But seriously, what else would happened when two regular people go up against a pissed off Dragonborn? Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Please review._


End file.
